1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a robot apparatus, and more particularly it is suitably applied to a pet robot performing actions like, for example, a four-footed animal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, a four-footed walking pet robot has been proposed and developed which performs actions in predetermined ways in response to commands from a user or depending on ambient environments. Such a pet robot resembles in shape to a four-footed animal often kept in the house, such as a dog or cat. A dog-like pet robot, for example, is designed to always take a lying-down posture upon receiving a command xe2x80x9clie downxe2x80x9d from the user, or to always give a xe2x80x9chandxe2x80x9d (front leg) when the user stretches the hand to just under the robot nose.
However, such a conventional pet robot performs actions only in predetermined ways in accordance with commands from the user or ambient environments, and it cannot be said as a autonomous robot capable of deciding an action by itself. In other words, the conventional pet robot does not behave as with a genuine pet, and hence has a difficulty in fully satisfying such a user""s demand as obtaining a pet robot as close as possible to a genuine pet.
In view of the state of art set forth above, an object of the present invention is to propose a robot apparatus capable of autonomously performing actions in natural ways.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a robot apparatus performing actions in accordance with input information supplied to the robot apparatus, wherein the robot apparatus includes an emotion/instinct model changing unit having emotion/-instinct models linked to the actions and deciding a next action by changing the emotion/instinct models based on the input information.
Since the robot apparatus includes the emotion/-instinct models linked to the actions and decides the next action by changing the emotion/instinct models based on the input information, the robot apparatus can autonomously behave in accordance with the emotional and instinctive states created in itself.
Also, the present invention provides a robot apparatus performing actions in accordance with input information supplied to the robot apparatus, wherein the robot apparatus includes an operating state deciding unit for deciding a next operating state subsequent to a current operating state based on both the current operating state depending on a history of the input information having been supplied in succession and the input information supplied next.
Since the next operating state subsequent to the current operating state is decided based on both the current operating state depending on a history of the input information having been supplied in succession and the input information supplied next, the robot apparatus can autonomously behave in accordance with the emotional and instinctive states created in itself.
Further, the present invention provides a robot apparatus taking postures decided based on physical configurations and mechanisms and transiting the postures in accordance with input information, wherein the robot apparatus includes a posture transition unit for changing a current posture of the robot apparatus for transition from the current posture to a posture corresponding to the input information via a predetermined route.
Since the current posture of the robot apparatus is changed for transition from the current posture to the posture corresponding to the input information via the predetermined route, the robot apparatus can be avoided from being forced to take an impossible posture or from turning over.